Customer integration into the innovation process, including the
fuzzy front end, is increasingly being adopted by firms in search of
new innovation and value-creation opportunities. Through a case
study of Altana, a specialty chemicals company with worldwide
R&D and sales operations, we find that a closer collaboration
between R&D and key account management (KAM) unlocks synergies
and value creation potential while avoiding the negative side
effects of customer integration. Specifically, we describe the
motivation for leveraging synergies between R&D and KAM, the
location of potential synergies in the innovation process, and ways
to foster meaningful alignment and engagement. Following an
explanation of observed outcomes of the collaboration, we derive
managerial implications.